Left Hands Free
by starbuckfaerie21
Summary: Alex tries to surprise Joel and the kids by decorating the Christmas tree.


Left Hands Free

 **Disclaimer:** Sadly I own neither _Saving Hope_ nor Daniel Gillies.

 **Pairing: Joel & Alex** (or vice versa if you prefer)

 **Rating: T**

 **Summary:** Alex tries to surprise Joel and the kids by decorating the Christmas tree.

Alex Reid climbed the shaky ladder that was set up next to the Christmas tree in the middle of the living room. She had the day off and she wanted to finish decorating the tree before Joel, Luke, and Charlotte got home. Her youngest son Theo was upstairs napping. And she listened for any sign of activity on the baby monitor as she worked on the tree.

She untangled the strings of lights and tested the bulbs before she hung them on the tree. She hung each ornament carefully on the branches of the tree, hanging only the fragile ones and leaving the others for the kids to hang. She left the tinsel for them too.

 _Even though I know we're going to be finding it all over the house for weeks._

Alex thought with a smile. She was reaching up to place the crystal star on the top of the tree as the ladder wobbled and then began to give way beneath her weight.

 _I guess I blew that surprise._

She tried to brace herself for the impact.

But she fell unceremoniously off the ladder, unable to catch herself. Then the ladder followed, falling slowly hitting the hardwood of the kitchen floor with a loud crash.

 _It's going to wake up the baby._

That was Alex's last thought before she lost consciousness.

 _Alex Reid stood in one of the corridors of the hospital, and let out an exhausted sigh even as the pager on her hip beeped incessantly._

 _The hospital was crazy tonight._

 _She was going to have to let Joel know she'd be late for dinner._

" _Has anybody seen Doctor Goran?" Alex asked, looking around the bustling hallway of the hospital._

 _There was no reply but as if she'd conjured him, Joel suddenly appeared out of nowhere._

" _Were you looking for me, Doctor Reid?" Joel asked, flashing her one of his trademark grins._

" _Yeah. I just wanted to let you know that I'm probably going to have to miss dinner tonight." Alex replied, as she leaned forward to kiss him._

 _Joel looked at her with a confused expression, "Did I forget we made plans?" He asked, the grin slowly disappearing from his face._

 _Alex stared back at him with wide eyes, "Very funny, Doctor Goran. We have dinner together almost every night. And I'm going to need you to pick the kids up from school."_

 _At the word 'kids' it was Joel's turn to stare at her with wide bewildered eyes, "What?"_

 _He asked, taking a step back, just before her lips met his, " Whoa, hey, Alex…" Joel began placing his hands on both of her shoulders, "I'm not sure that's such a good idea…What about Charlie?"_

 _Charlie? Alex thought._

 _Why would Joel bring up Charlie after all this time?_

" _Joel, are we even having the same conversation here?" Alex asked, "Can you get the kids on your way home or not?"_

" _What are you talking about Reid? Why do you keep asking me about kids? Who's kids are we talking about here?"_

" _Ours. Joel, knock it off, this isn't funny anymore." Alex said letting out an exasperated sigh._

" _Alex, are you sure you're feeling all right? You look exhausted. Maybe you should go lie down in a call room and get some rest?"_

 _Alex shook her head, "No, I'm fine…Joel, tell me what's going on here?"_

" _You tell me Reid," Joel said raising both hands in mock surrender. "You should sit down for a second. You look pale._

 _It was then that Alex noticed that the wedding band was missing from his left hand._

 _The last thing Alex heard was Joel calling her name just before she fell to the floor._

" _Alex!"_

"Alex!"

She heard Joel's voice shouting her name, urgently. But it sounds like he was far away.

 _Or underwater._

"Alex…C'mon love, Open your eyes, Reid. Look at me, Reid!"

The last time Joel shouted her name Alex blinked slowly into consciousness, her vision blurry around the edges.

"Joel?" She whispered, uncertainly, her own voice sounded too loud in her ears and the lights in the kitchen were on. They were too bright.

 _And she didn't remember turning them on._

She heard the sound of Theo's cries coming from upstairs.

"Joel…The baby's crying." She whispered still, blinking.

Joel nodded, "I'm a little more concerned about you at the moment Reid. I swear it takes a year off my life every time I come home and see you unconscious on the kitchen floor."

Alex shrugged her shoulders, "I'm sorry, Joel, baby. I wanted to finish the tree before you and the kids got home. I fell off the stupid ladder."

Joel nodded, slowly, "I came home early. Luke and Charlotte aren't due home for another hour.

"Wait, we're married right?" Alex whispered, a cold shudder running through her entire body as she waited for Joel's reply. And you know we have kids right?"

At this Joel laughed out loud, "Yes ma'am. We certainly are married…For

almost five years now. And it would be hard to forget the fact that we have three kids."

 _Especially with the little man crying upstairs right now._

"How hard did you hit your head? Are you sure you don't have a concussion?"

Alex shook her head and then instantly regretted it as the room started to spin. "I'm fine…It doesn't even hurt. I should go up and get the baby." Alex raised, her head slowly and moaned involuntarily as she felt a wave of pain coming from the back of her head.

She felt Joel's gentle yet firm hand come across her body to rest on her shoulder, as she tried in vain to sit up and get to her feet.

"No…Hey…Alex, take it easy." Joel said, softly.

"But Joel, the baby's crying. I need to go get him."

"I'll go get him. You stay right here and take a few long deep breaths for me. I'll be right back." Joel insisted flashing her one of his trademark Joel Goran grins.

In what seemed like only a few seconds, Theo had stopped crying and Joel was once again sitting next to Alex on the kitchen floor with the baby in his arms.

Alex felt a shudder run through her body again as she thought of the hallucination…the dream…the nightmare…whatever it had been…ran through her mind again.

"Hey Alex, love…You're shaking." Without waiting for her to reply, Joel got up and grabbed the blanket off of the back of the sofa and wrapped it around his wife's shoulders.

"Thank you, Joel baby," Alex whispered, nuzzling her son's head against her neck and pulling her husband closer. "Would you do one more thing for me?"

"Name it, Reid." Joel answered.

"Show me your left hand, _please_?" Alex asked, her voice shaking a little.

Joel didn't say a word, he simply raised his left hand. And Alex let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding as the gold wedding band he wore on his fourth finger shone in the brightly lit kitchen.

"Oh thank God, " Alex whispered bring her husband's hand to her lips and kissing first his ring, then his lips, and then the mole behind his ear.

"Doctor Reid, what's gotten into you?" Joel asked, and she could feel his soft chuckle against her neck as they made out like teenagers on the kitchen floor with baby Theo cooing happily between them.

"It's nothing, Doctor Goran," She said pulling away to rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm just so glad your left hand's not free."

"So am I, love. And that tree looks like a million bucks by the way…But you know we're going to be finding tinsel in the house until next Christmas right?"

Joel felt Alex nod, her head slipping off of his to rest against his neck. "I know." Alex whispered, her eyes drifting shut. "Wake when Luke and Charlotte get home. I want to see their faces.

Joel nodded, pressing a kiss against Alex's forehead. He knew he should take her upstairs to the bedroom. But he couldn't carry both Alex and the baby upstairs. So, he set Theo down on the living room carpet to play, and lifted his wife onto the couch and covered her with the same blanket that had been wrapped around her shoulders.

 _I'm throwing that ladder away tomorrow._


End file.
